Staying Home Sucks, home
Aerial image of Verbania (view from the south)
Verbania, the nearest town, 10 km away. Photo: Carsten Steger, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

San Giovanni, Scareno - Wehr

Kayak spot · Italy

Whitewater: a river with rapids

Is it worth the trip?

Not for grade III paddlers. Suits expert paddlers only, by its grade.

The spot in two facts

  • Grade Vits hardest rapid VI
  • Moving waterthe water

Full forecast

every day, every number

Not for grade III paddlers. Suits expert paddlers only, by its grade. See it for expert paddlers.

Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.

Map

put-in, take-out, its town

Each place wears its best day on these dates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says. Days past the forecast count as they usually are.

The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.

One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About San Giovanni, Scareno - Wehr

A river section on the San Giovanni, from a put-in down to a take-out. Grade V, its hardest rapid VI, on the international scale. Suits expert paddlers only, by its grade. 2 paddling schools, clubs or hire within 10 km, the nearest 7.2 km away. The town to stay in is Verbania. Within 5 km we also list 2 kayak spots, 2 climbing areas and 1 mountain bike area.

  • River San Giovanni
  • Grade Grade V, its hardest rapid VI, on the international scale.
  • Who it suits Suits expert paddlers only, by its grade.
  • Access No source states the access rules: check locally.
  • Schools, hire 2 paddling schools, clubs or hire within 10 km, the nearest 7.2 km away.

Spots and rivers: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Whitewater sections © Rivermap (rivermap.org), Riverzone and Jonathan Riddell, ODbL.

The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).

Rough cost (estimate): about US$1,360–US$2,550 each

about US$1,360–US$2,550 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, hire car, stay, food, kayak hire.

Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.

How we worked it out 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn ORD to MXP, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bagabout US$496–US$1,030
Hire car6 days, sharedabout US$107–US$174
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$315–US$523
Food7 days eating outabout US$301–US$563
Kayak hire5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$141–US$261
Totalabout US$1,360–US$2,550

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.

Where to stay: Verbania

Closest

Verbania

17 min by car · 56 places to stay

about US$114/nightcountry average

See 56 places to stay in Verbania · Booking.com

About Verbania its beds, food and every spot near it

About US$114 a night is our estimate of the country's average 2-star double room that month: not each town's price, and not a quote. Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.

Getting there: about 14h 35m

About 14h 35m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → MXP, direct, then 55 min by road

An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.

On the water

River level

River levels: no free forecast gives them, so check a gauge before you go.

Paddling schools, clubs and hire nearby

  • A.D. Cannero Sportiva 7.2 km

  • ASD Canottieri Intra 7.7 km

  • Canottieri Lesa ASD 20 km

  • Canottieri Città di Omegna 22 km

The nearest named schools, clubs and kayak or canoe hire within 25 km, in a straight line. Listings, not a recommendation. Schools, clubs and hire: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Credits